WAUKEE, Iowa — Authorities are investigating another explosion at an Iowa gender-reveal party for a soon-to-be-born baby that happened one day after a blast at a similar gathering killed a 56-year-old woman in a nearby community.
Authorities say no one was injured in the explosion Sunday in rural Waukee, a Des Moines suburb, but they are looking into unconfirmed claims that the blast broke a neighbor’s windows.
Waukee Fire Capt. Tomme Tysdal says the Waukee explosion came from a commercially available gender-reveal kit, unlike the homemade device that killed Pamela Kreimeyer on Saturday near Knoxville, a town 45 miles away.
Authorities say Kreimeyer died instantly when her family’s device exploded, hitting her in the head from 45 feet away. Authorities said the device was meant to discharge colored powder.
Gender reveal parties with attention-grabbing efforts such as explosives have become increasingly common nationally and popular on social media.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less